Men have a tendency to ride in the same pair of jeans until the fabric is one lunge away from being interwoven with the very atoms of our bodies. You share scent, shape, stains, rips, falls, dashes to the bus, spilt beers and everything else a decade can throw at your legs. And to most denim aficionados, that’s exactly the point.

It’s a romantic concept: a well-worn piece of denim is unique to you; an extension of your personality, battered into shape by your every move; a deftly stitched indigo tapestry of your life. Even if those rips and markings are in fact due to your awkward bumbling through life’s desk corners, grazed knees and chewing gum mishaps, it still looks pretty cool, right?

But like all materials, even your beautiful selvedge denim will, after time, smell like what it’s frequently exposed to. Sweat is sweat and grease is grease. While character is, of course, desirable, it’s still important that you stay on the socially acceptable side of rugged.

That means taking care of your denim. Well-maintained jeans reward the man wearing them with years of versatile wear and uniquely aged fades.

Looking after your jeans takes more than just chucking them in a 60-degree spin. In fact, for denim aficionados, that’s as barbaric as throwing a puppy in a river. Every denim lover will have their own rules and regs for keeping their jeans collection tip-top, from keeping them in the freezer to following the guide of Levi’s CEO Chip Bergh and never washing them, ever.

Here’s our own handbook for dealing with your beloved indigo, including how to wash them (sorry Chip), dry them, repair and recycle them.

Rivet & Hide

How Often Should You Wash Your Jeans?

Never, if you agree with denim’s most fervent disciples. Bergh admitted he didn’t wash his favorite 501s in more than a decade because he didn’t want the material to deteriorate. While denim is the toughest material in your wardrobe, originally designed for hard labor, it’s a lot harder on the street than it is in the washing machine, where warm water and strong detergents can change its shape and color.